If you're in an area with a sailing culture, there may be a Hobie racing fleet or sailing club that you can connect with. Sail with other people, crew for some more experienced sailors and you will augment your knowledge rapidly. Most of all, you'll have fun and probably won't get into too much trouble. I think the lessons are still a good idea, though, because you'll probably be better received by potential sailing partners if you aren't "that guy who doesn't know ANYTHING."

Also, if you can get connected with a racing club you will probably get leads on some very good boats for sale. So don't be in a hurry to buy.

Since you want to eventually use the cat for long distance , and Lake Ontariois kinda BIG so it will produce larger waves ; think i'd go for a Hobie-18. It willhandle larger chop, and will carry more weight so you can bring heavier friendswith you along with camping gear. An 18 is capable of being handled by yourself once you learn how to make it go.

If you lived on a small lake, i'd go for the 16 ; pound for pound the 18 isa better call for the money spent on the purchase and time spent rigging it to go sailing for the environment you intend to use it in !!

Watch Out though ; sailing is Real addicting !! I also kite-board, and none ofmy kiting buddies can figure out why i like sailing so much ; to me the twosports compliment each other nicely.

Later on, after you learn to use it, you can get smaller/stronger sails to usein higher winds ; now a bit of excess wind will be even MORE fun !! Me & theguy i went in 1/2 on for our H-20 went the Other direction ; we learnedto sail the cat with the smaller sails which made it Under-powered and WAYless likely to flip if we screwed-up. Now we regularly go out in 30+ mph windon our H-20, but we use a Main-sail & jib made for a H-16. Most the Hobie purestwill disagree with me on that one , so take my advise with a grain of salt ...

With any luck Il be able to get out for those lessons this weekend, but I have to wait for a call back from the guy. If not it will have to be when I get back from NH next week.

The weight and water conditions were my main reasons for wanting to go with the 18. Im a couple hundred pounds and so would be any of my friends that would want to come along. The idea of being able to carry some camping gear is pretty cool too. Theres a lot more 16's on Kijiji right now, but if its not the right fit its irrelevant. Theres a cheap 17' with wings ... but it looks pretty rough and I dont really want to get into a huge project just ot make it usable.

Purchase budget is going to be in the neighbourhood of $2000 / $3000 ... and I can make a trailer with relative ease.

I've sailed with three total but in heavier wind or with any seas at all it is pretty cumbersome. I think under 400 is probably OK but I usually sail less than that. I can't relate to people saying things are fine with their 500+ pound crew weights; I have a hard enough time keeping the leeward hull tip up in good winds at about 360.

A few weeks ago my old boat had six girls on it at camp. Granted most of them probably weighed about 110 pounds, but I hear it was riding pretty low!